Transmitter

• US 6,563,883 B1
• Filed: 05/27/1999
• Issued: 05/13/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Mobile Phones UK Limited (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Lilja, Harri, Mattila, Heikki, Kaleva, Simo, Leinonen, Marko
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Stephen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lugo, David B.
• Application Number:
  US09/320,768
• Time in Patent Office: 1,447 Days
• Field of Search: 375/295, 375/135, 375/146, 375/297, 375/296, 455/126, 455/127
• US Class Current: 375/295
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2203/7236 the gated amplifier being switched on or off by putting into parallel or not, by choosing between amplifiers by (a ) switch(es)
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2203/7239 the gated amplifier being switched on or off by putting into parallel or not, by choosing between amplifiers and shunting lines by one or more switch(es)
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/24 of transmitter output stages
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/72 Gated amplifiers, i.e. amplifiers which are rendered operative or inoperative by means of a control signal
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/3042 in modulators, frequency-changers, transmitters or power amplifiers transmission power control in bidirectional transmission systems H04W52/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/0483 Transmitters with multiple parallel paths
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2001/0408 with power amplifiers

Abstract

A transmitter has an input for receiving a signal, gain controller for applying a first gain to the received signal, a first path for providing a second, relatively high gain for the received signal, a second path for providing a third, relatively low gain for said received signal, a transmitter for transmitting a signal and a controller to cause a received signal to pass through the gain controller and the first path when a relatively high gain is to be applied to the received signal and to cause a received signal to pass through the gain controller and the second path when a relatively low gain is to be applied to the received signal. When a change is made from using one of the first and second paths to using the other, the power of the signal transmitted by the transmitter varies by less than or equal to a predetermined amount.

Claims

1. A transmitter comprising:

an input for receiving a signal;

gain control means for applying a first gain to the received signal;

first path means for providing a second, relatively high gain for said received signal;

second path means for providing a third, relatively low gain for said received signal;

transmitter means for transmitting a signal; and

control means operable, in use, to cause a received signal to pass through the gain control means and said first path means when a relatively high gain is to be applied to the received signal and to cause a received signal to pass through the gain control means and said second path means when a relatively low gain is to be applied to said received signal, wherein when a change is made from using one of said first and second path means to using the other of said first and second path means, the power of the signal transmitted by the transmitter varies by less than or equal to a predetermined amount;

and measuring means to provide a value indicative of the value of the power level of the signal transmitted by the transmitter means, said measuring means providing a reference value when a signal passes through said second path means and the gain of the gain control means has been set to a predetermined level, wherein the control means, when the measuring means provides the reference value when a signal passes through the first path means, causes a received signal to pass through said second path means.

2. A transmitter as claimed in claim 1, wherein the gain of the gain control means is variable.

3. A transmitter as claimed in claim 1, wherein said control means is arranged to ensure that the proper of the signal transmitted by the transmitter means remains substantially the same when a change is made between said first and second paths.

4. A transmitter as claimed in claim 1, wherein said predetermined gain level in the maximum gain of the gain control means.

5. A transmitter as claimed in claim 4, wherein said maximum gain of the gain control means varies in response to the mode of operation of the transmitter.

6. A transmitter as claimed in claim 1, wherein said predetermined gain level varies in response to the mode of operation of the transmitter.

7. A transmitter as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transmission path is selected prior to transmission, dependent on the mode of operation.

8. A transmitter as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the change is made so that a received signal passes through the second path means, the gain of the gain control means is set to the predetermined gain level.

9. A transmission as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the measuring means provides a predetermined value, when a received signal passes through said second path means, the control means causes a received signal to pass through said first path means.

10. A transmitter as claimed in claim 9, wherein, when a signal passes through said first path means and the measuring means provides the predetermined value, the corresponding gain value defines a reference gain value.

11. A transmitter as claimed in claim 10 wherein, the gain of said gain control means is set at the reference gain value when the control means causes a received signal to change to the first path means.

12. A transmitter as claimed in claim 9, wherein said predetermined value of said measuring means is the same as the reference value of the measuring means.

13. A transmitter as claimed in claim 8, wherein when the control means subsequently causes the change from the first path means to the second path means, the gain value of the gain control means which causes a received signal passing through the first path means to provide the predetermined value at the measuring means is stored as a new reference gain value.

14. A transmitter as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the control means subsequently causes the change from the second path means to the first path means, the value of the measuring means causes by a received signal passing through the second path means when the gain of the gain control means is at the predetermined level is stored as a new reference value.

15. A transmitter as claimed in claim 10, wherein a temperature sensor is provided and the control means is arranged to compensate the reference gain value for variations in temperature.

16. A transmitter as claimed in claim 1, where a temperature sensor is provided and the control means is arranged to compensate the reference value of the measuring means for variations in temperature.

17. A transmitter as claimed in claim 1, wherein the gain of the first and/or second path means is substantially constant.

18. A transmitter as claimed in claim 1, wherein the power level of the signal transmitter by the transmitter means is increased or decreased by said predetermined amount when changing between the first and second path means.

19. A transmitter as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first path means comprises amplifier means.

20. A transmitter as claimed in claim 19, comprising predistortion means for predistorting the received signal prior to the signal passing through said amplifier means, whereby said predistortion means is arranged substantially to compensate for non-linearity of said amplifier means, the control means arranged if the power level of the signal to be transmitted by the transmitter means is below a predetermined level, the signal does not pass through said predistortion means and if the power level of the signal to be transmitted by the transmitter means is above a predetermined level said received signal passes through said predistortion means and said amplifier means.

21. A radio frequency transmitter as claimed in claim 20, wherein bias control means are provided for controlling the biasing applied to said amplifier means, whereby if the power level of the signal to be transmitted by the transmitted means is above the predetermined level, then the amplifier means is controlled by the bias control means to operate non-linearly.

22. A radio frequency transmitter as claimed in claim 21, wherein when a power level of a signal transmitted by said transmitter is below the predetermined level, the amplifier means is controlled by the bias control means to operate substantially linearly.

23. A transmitter as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first path comprises:

a plurality of amplifiers arranged in series; and

said second path bypasses at least one of said plurality of amplifiers.

24. A transmitter as claimed in claim 1, wherein said reference values comprise a range of values whereby when switching occurs between power levels hysteresis occurs.

25. A transmitter as claimed in claim 24, wherein said range of values may vary depending on the terminal operation mode.

26. A transmitter as claimed in claim 1, wherein said transmitted signal comprises speech signals or data signals or a combination of speech and data signals.

27. A transmitter as claimed in claim 24, wherein when said transmitted signal comprises speech signals the power level of said transmitted signal is relatively low.

28. A transmitter as claimed in claim 26, wherein when said transmitted signal comprises data signals or a combination of speech and data signals the power level of said transmitted signal is relatively high.

29. A transmitter as claimed in claim 1, when incorporated in a mobile station.

30. A method for controlling gain of a transmitted signal comprising the steps of:

receiving an input signal;

applying a first gain to the input signal;

causing a received signal to pass through a first path providing a second, relatively high gain when a relatively high gain signal is required and causing a received signal to pass through second path means providing a third, relatively low gain when a relatively low gain is required;

providing a value indicative of the value of the power level of the signal transmitted;

providing a reference value when a signal passes through the second path means and the first gain has been set to a predetermined level; and

controlling the gain applied to the input signal so that when a change is made using one of the first and second paths to using the other of said first and second paths, the power of the transmitted signal varies by less than or equal to a predetermined amount, wherein when the reference value is provided when the signal passes through the first path means, the signal is caused to pass through the second path means.